by Patrick Rall

Ford Motor Company has unveiled the details on the bestselling half ton truck in the world, with the 2012 Ford F150 getting a handful of new features to make the truck more driver friendly while a new FX package adds great looks.  Also, a new fuel tank offers range like the world has never seen from a half ton pickup.

The biggest news for the 2012 Ford F150 is the new FX appearance package (shown above), offered in both FX2 and FX4 (rear wheel and four wheel drive) configurations.  The FX package for 2012 begins with flat black stripes along the side complemented by the unique blacked out headlights, taillights and grille with badges all around featuring red lettering.  The exterior is finished off by a set of flat black 20” aluminum wheels and a thick 6-spoke formation. 

Inside, more of that black and red theme is seen with black leather throughout with red stitching and piping on the seats and steering wheel.  The dash and inner panels of the 2012 FX package for the F150 are predominantly black with brushed metal accents and satin silver on the shifter, door handles and HVAC bezels.  2012 F150 buyers who opt for the FX package can upgrade to the FX luxury package which adds goodies like a high end infotainment system and heated/cooled front seats.  This package is available with any of the 2012 F150 color choices, although it sure looks great in the black-on-black scheme shown here.



Next, Ford has added a couple features that make driving the 2012 F150 easier, including a Hill Start Assist system and a new four wheel drive system on the higher end F150 models (Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum).  The Hill Start Assist system is fairly self explanatory, helping to prevent the truck from rolling when pulling out from a stop on a steep grade.  The new 4x4 system includes an auto mode that allows the higher trimline F150 models to move automatically from RWD to 4WD on the fly – saving drivers the effort of coming to a stop to change into 4WD in events where the weather or road surface suddenly turns ugly.

The last major improvement to the 2012 Ford F150 comes to those trucks equipped with the powerful EcoBoost 3.5L V6 and four wheel drive, as they now feature a standard 36 gallon fuel tank.  Thanks to the amazing fuel economy measures reached by the new EcoBoost, this large fuel tank allows the 4x4 2012 F150 EcoBoost to go a whopping 756 miles on a single tank of gasoline.  This is the same engine that offers 365 horsepower and 420lb-ft of torque, which gives the 2012 F150 a class leading 11,300lbs towing capacity and the ability to haul a class leading 3,600lbs.

Finally, Ford made a few slight revisions for the 2012 F150, adding the 163” wheelbase SuperCab option to the XL and XLT packages, the 157” wheelbase CrewCab is now available on the XL, XLT and Lariat packages and the electronic shift on the fly system is now available with the XL and FX4 trimlines.